68 Valiant.... I'm joining the A Body Club!! Coupla Questions.......

[ValiantOne]

Hey Everybody,

I've been lurking for a couple of days here and you have a real nice forum

The other day I bought a 2dr 68 Valiant at an estate sale. I always wanted an A body (have had a B for almost 20 yrs) and when I saw this one I couldn't pass it up! She is pretty tight. Good straight body, V8 (couldn't tell what CID) even had a/c. I have two questions I am hoping to get some opinions/answers on.

1) The interior is in good shape EXCEPT, somone left the windows open while it sat in the basement garage for years. Mold/mildew has grown on pretty much everything inside. What to do? I figured replace the carpet and pull all the panels/seats for a good cleaning. Can anyone recommend a good product or method for this? What about down in the vents and stuff? I heard of a foaming product some years back for the vents but can't remember the name. Thanks for any tips!!

2) I want to get the under belly taken care of first so I can go ahead with wheel/tire/suspension mods. I figured on pressure washing the undercarriage, then sandblasing where I need to. Is this a good approach? After that, what is the best coating(s) to use to keep her pristine?

Thanks again guys for any info. I'm going to pick her up next week and I will post some pics then for sure

Chris E.

[Capt Jack]

welcome.

the part beyond what you already mentioned for the mildew would be the foam in the seats and headliner.  if possible, Id replace both

mildew can be really tough to eliminate completely.  I'd at the very least pull every last thing fabric out of the car, clean it with a good fungus killer and look at either replacing or thouroughly cleaning every last thing you can before reassembly.   the vents are going to be tricky, I'll let someone else address that as I've yet to deal with that one myself.

oh...and pics if you can.  you'll find thats one thing this bunch loves is good pics.

enjoy your stay 

CJ

[urchinhead]

Post some pictures. The engine casting number is on the block below the head on the driver's side. The vin number should be between the driver's door and the front door sill/firewall. The tag inside the engine compartment is a 'fender tag' not the vin, and you might also have a plastic id card on the other fender. Get the numbers from each, and you can start to get the information from your car and engine. Good luck, I'm looking forward to some pictures!

[MVRCorp]

Hey Chris, welcome aboard. I own a fire and water restoration company and we are certified in mold and mildew remediation. There are a lot of specialized products for sale out there but honestly you can't beat a 20% solution of bleach and water. This, of course, is for hard surfaces but I guess if you could try soaking it for a few minutes and then dry the foam completely you might be able to save it. Good luck and don't be shy to throw your questions out here. The guys (and girls) are great on this website. 
Jim

[MVRCorp]

2 other locations for the vin #. Above the driver's side headlight on the top of the radiator support and about 12" behind the driver's side trunk hinge (under the weatherstripping).

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Jim_Lusk]

No VIN in those locations in 68. The SO number will be there as well as on the fender tag. The VIN is only one place on the body, the tag itself.

[jacks62440]

Wecome Chris, This is a Great Site. I am New here, but I'll throw in my 2 bits. My son had a truck with a bad door seal and we live in the north west rain belt. anyway it was sitting for awhile and got a Really Bad case of Mold/Mildew %$#@ all over the inside. I didn't know what to do, so I figured Bleach would do something, it sure is Nasty stuff on the Lungs. So I took a old plastic jug and cut the bottom off and filled it with Straight Bleach, about 1/2" or so, set it on the floor, put a Danger sign beside it. Rolled up the windows and left it for a couple weeks. "POOF No More %$#@"  No Guarantee But it Worked for Me. After a couple weeks I would just clean every thing with a spray bottle of "Fanastic with Bleach" The stuff from the Supermarket. Word of Caution "Dont start playing Chemist" with Bleach. It can Kill !!!  Good Luck,  Jack

[moparrr07]

welcome, i would recommend going through and read all of the tech pages... twice then if you have any questions feel free to ask, but don't forget to do a quick search first- there are about 100 threads about disk breaks and 100 threads for which rear end is best suited for you- but good job on choosing the brake and suspention first-

about sandblasting (or media blasting, more recommended) i would strip it down and just do the whole car, when you blast something, it gets everywhere , plus then having about not worrying about those spots when you do the rest, just my opinion

pics please

[ValiantOne]

Wecome Chris, This is a Great Site. I am New here, but I'll throw in my 2 bits. My son had a truck with a bad door seal and we live in the north west rain belt. anyway it was sitting for awhile and got a Really Bad case of Mold/Mildew %$#@ all over the inside. I didn't know what to do, so I figured Bleach would do something, it sure is Nasty stuff on the Lungs. So I took a old plastic jug and cut the bottom off and filled it with Straight Bleach, about 1/2" or so, set it on the floor, put a Danger sign beside it. Rolled up the windows and left it for a couple weeks. "POOF No More %$#@"  No Guarantee But it Worked for Me. After a couple weeks I would just clean every thing with a spray bottle of "Fanastic with Bleach" The stuff from the Supermarket. Word of Caution "Dont start playing Chemist" with Bleach. It can Kill !!!  Good Luck,  Jack

Outstanding:) I'm probably going to try that. Yes bleach is nasty. I'm the kind of guy who wears a respirator even when I am cuttin' 2X4's so you can believe I'll be wearing one for this operation!

Thanks again,

I'll post pics after I pick up the car this Tuesday:)

[440Ken]

As other have said bleach will do it......also if you know someone with an Ozone Generator. Run one inside a closed car for about 3 hours and all mold and mildew will be gone.

[ValiantOne]

As other have said bleach will do it......also if you know someone with an Ozone Generator. Run one inside a closed car for about 3 hours and all mold and mildew will be gone.

Ken, it is funny that you mention that. I was reading about "shock" treatments for mold problems in houses (particularly basements) where they take an ionic type of air cleaner and turn it up all the way to create ozone. Because this is really bad for people to breathe, they put it on a timer and set it for when they are not going to be home for more than several hours. Then the unit turns off and the ozone dissapates to safe levels.

Maybe I should look into this mor as well.

Thanks everyone!

Chris

[440Ken]

Ecoquest International.....all their distributors are individuals who work from their homes selling air and water purification equipment. When I was trying to sell my house in Texas, three years ago, I had my entire house done. I had to leave the house for 2-1/2 days. The guy brought in two units and ran them non-stop for about 60 hours.
I had some mold on the wall under the kitchen sink....it was gone. My wife smoked..curtins and furniture had a smokey odor.....it was all gone. I bar of Irish Spring soap in the bath room.....it lost all its aroma.
Ozone does wonders for removing odors and mold/mildew.

I ended up buying some equipment from the guy that did my house and I use it here in my Florida house where mold/mildew can be a problem.

[MVRCorp]

As other have said bleach will do it......also if you know someone with an Ozone Generator. Run one inside a closed car for about 3 hours and all mold and mildew will be gone.

Be very carefull with ozone. It will detereorate insulation on the wireing if you run it too long